Did you know that 80% of homeowners in the United States have at least a single-car garage? Even though garages are one of the most popular home additions, this doesn’t mean they come without issues, garage door problems are a real thing.

Garages are motorized doors that can open and close with the touch of a button. Since the doors rely on several parts working together to open and close properly if even one of these parts is broken it will affect your door’s performance.

To help you identify issues and solve any garage related problem, we have created a list of the top 10 garage door problems. This list will make it easy to find your issue, identify what’s causing it, and help you to repair it or find a quick fix. To get the answers you’re looking for, keep reading below.

1. The Door Doesn’t Open In the Winter

One of the common garage door problems is that a door will close in the winter but fail to open. This may be due to the cold temperatures of the winter season.

The cold weather can affect your rollers, causing them to be stiff which means they won’t work as well. If this is the case, try lubricating them to fix the issue.

If oiling the rollers doesn’t fix the problem, it might be worth looking at your motor unit. On the motor unit, there should be a screw that you can adjust to calibrate the opener sensitivity. After finding the screw try adjusting it little by little to see if there’s a better response when you try opening the door.

2. The Wall Switch Isn’t Working

If you’ve tried to open and close your garage door with the wall switch without response there may be an issue with the power supply. The first thing you should check in this case is fuses or breaker box. When looking at your fuses check to see if any have tripped, burned out, or broke.

If all the fuses appear to be fine and in order, try resetting them and trying the switch again. If any of the fuses are broken or burned you will have to replace them.

After replacing or resetting your fuses and trying the switch again to find out that it’s still not working, then this could mean that the power in the opening motor has burned out. If this is the case you will need to send the motor out to be fixed or have it replaced.

3. Doors Making Noises

If your garage door is sounding squeaky or you hear a rubbing type noise, this could lead to a bigger problem. You shouldn’t hear any abnormal noises when your door opens or closes.

If your door is making any strange noises it could be due to either the wheel tracks, hinges, and/or bearings. The best way to find out is to call a service immediately. Professionals will help to make adjustments and repair anything that isn’t right to help your door run smoothly and efficiently.

4. Door Isn’t Closing the Entire Way

It’s a big concern when your garage door doesn’t close the whole way. This can lead to a breach of security for your home and give the elements a way into your space and cause damage.

When this happens you should check the safety sensors to make sure nothing is blocking them. The sensors can be found on the left and right of the door at floor level. If anything is blocking the laser’s eye make sure to move it out of the way and try closing the door again.

If that didn’t remedy the issue make sure to check the rollers. The rollers should travel along the track smoothly and not have anything blocking their path. Sometimes oiling the rollers will be enough to have your door open and close properly.

Another thing that can cause the door not to close is rusty rollers. Even if the rollers have other damage that isn’t rust, it can cause more problems to your door. If they are damaged they should be replaced immediately.

5. When Closing Or Opening the Door It Sticks

When opening or closing the door you may notice it gets stuck. This could indicate an issue with the tracks or rollers.

When this issue arises the first thing you should do is check the tracks and rollers. Make sure nothing is blocking the roller’s path in the tracks and look to see if any part of the track is bent.

If the track is aligned properly and there is nothing blocking the roller’s path then the issue could be that the rollers themselves are rusted or broken. If this is the case you will need to replace all rollers to make the issue go away. For a quick fix until they can be replaced try lubricating the rollers.

6. The Garage’s Motor Is Still Running After the Door Is Closed

If your garage door is healthy, the motor will cease to run when the door is closed. If the door has closed completely and the motor continues to run this indicates an issue.

This is a pretty uncommon issue with garage doors, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen at all. Most people see this problem pop up right after having a door installed. If you find this problem it means there is an issue within your system.

The problem can be traced back to the up-limit switch. This switch should be the correct distance from the motor to ensure that the door can close the whole way and so it knows to stop running.

To fix this try adjusting the up-limit switch. Remember to make small adjustments and then close the door to ensure you’re not overshooting it.  To adjust you should move the switch little by little, getting further away from the motor.

7. My Remote Isn’t Working

Almost every garage door has a remote whether it be a remote lock or remote for opening and closing the door. These remotes can be placed in your car for easy opening and closing when you leave or come back to your house. Needless to say, when these remotes stop working it’s annoying and suddenly having a garage door may feel like a hassle.

First, you should check to see if the batteries in your remote have gone bad. If so, replace them and continue to live your hassle-free lifestyle of opening and closing your door from anywhere within range. If this doesn’t fix the problem then double-check that you’re actually within range when you tap the button.

Next, we recommend trying to open and close the door with the wall switch. If the door successfully opens and closes then this indicates there’s an issue with your remote.

The last thing is to double-check the antenna on the motor unit. This antenna should be hanging down so it can respond to the remote.

If the problem persists after you’ve replaced the batteries, made sure you’re in range, and checked to ensure the antenna is pointed down, it may be time to get a new remote. To request a new remote either contact the company that installed your door or order one online.

8. The Door Will Reverse

If you try closing your garage door just to have it reverse and open again this shows that there is an issue. The door can reverse before or after hitting the floor.

This indicates that there is an issue with the close-force setting. The close-force setting controls how much force is allowed when the garage door closes.

As the close-force setting is changed, the amount of need friction required for the door to close will change also. This means that the motor will tell to the door that it’s closed when it’s not.

If the setting is turned off the motor will tell the door that it needs a small amount of friction to close. If rollers are rusted or old this can create more friction than required, causing the door to either not close or completely close and then open again.

To fix this issue you should adjust the close-force setting on your motor. If this doesn’t seem to work then look at your rollers again and replace them if they are damaged or rusted.

9. The Door Won’t Open the Entire Way

The opposite of closing is opening, and even though we have outlined what to do when your door doesn’t close above we have yet to discuss what to do when your door doesn’t open. There are a few situations in which this can happen.

If you’re driving up to the door and try to use your remote to open the door and it doesn’t respond, this could mean an issue with your remote. Try replacing the batteries, making sure you’re in range, or even replacing the remote.

Now let’s say you replaced your remote and the door isn’t opening, now it’s time to check those rollers and tracks. Ensure the rollers are rolling well and not rusted. Even try lubricating them to remedy the problem.

The last thing to check is the limit-switch. There are two sperate limit-switches on your motor, one for opening the door and another for closing the door. If the switch is too far from the motor it can cause disruptions when trying to open the door.

If the switch is far away, try moving it closer to the motor. There could be the case of the switch being broken. If this happens you will need to replace it for your door to open properly.

10. My Door Slows Down When Opening or Closing

If you’ve noticed that there are certain spots where your door slows when opening or closing this could be telling you that there’s a problem with the rollers or track.IF the track is out of alignment this could be the reason your door isn’t opening and closing efficiently.

Go ahead and troubleshoot your door. If you notice any gaps between the roller and tracks you may have found the answer to your problem. You may even notice small bends in the rail, this can also contribute to this issue.

Since a garage door isn’t the lights thing, it can compound these problems and make them worse. When you first notice an issue with your door’s performance you should check the tracks immediately.

If the track is misaligned and the door is still moving, you can try to fix it yourself. Try loosening the screws that hold the track to the frame. Tap the track with a rubber mallet to realign. After putting it back in place you should use a level to make sure it’s leveled properly.

After aligning the track properly it’s time to tighten the screws and test your door again. If you’ve adjusted both tracks and the door still isn’t working properly it may be time to consult a professional.

Now You Know the Answers To the Most Common Garage Door Problems

Sometimes finding the answer to a problem may seem impossible, especially when it comes to garage doors. We have tried to make finding the answers and diagnosing the problem easier with our guide.

Now that you’ve read through the top 10 garage door problems you can diagnose the issue with confidence. You even know how to recognize issues from rusty rollers to misaligned tracks, to adjust certain settings on the motor.

We hope this guide will help you have the most efficient running garage door in the neighborhood. For more information on locks and security, check out our website here.